door chimes
by toomanyhearts
Summary: where Percy Jackson's a punk with an antique shop to run, and Annabeth Chase, with her designer skirts and curls, might just be the thing he needs.


"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Percy wakes up to the shrill screech of Mrs. Dodds, who was stalking down the aisle of desks, her red eyes gleaming. "Can you solve the equation on the board, or should I call the 6th graders in to explain it to your incompetent brain?"

He sighs and tries to read the equation messily written on the smudgy chalkboard. _x plus y is 12, x minus y is 4. _What does that even mean? The last time he was called on, they were doing geometry-quadrilaterals or some thing like that. Now there are weird letters on the board, mixed in with numbers.

Instinctively, he turns his head to Jason's desk next to him. Sure enough, the answers are written in clear print, right at the corner of the page. Perfect.

"X is 12 and y is 4," he almost shouts, revelling in the way her face turns a pudgy, wrinkled red.

"Correct," she mutters. "I'm surprised you were able to even read it, Jackson."

When Dodds has acquired a new target, Percy leans near Jason and pats him on the back. "I owe you one, man."

"More like five hundred," he whispers, but there's a grudging smile on his face. Ever since Percy gave Jason his extra blue marker in pre-school, they've been best friends and cousins. Jason handles the...academic part of their friendship, so to speak. Which is code for giving him the answers to homework.

"Listen, do you want to drop by the store at, like, 3 today?" He's very desperate for some company, since the blond chick is apparently very serious about the whole antique thing. She doesn't seem like too much fun.

"Can't. Jupiter has some important strategy meeting for the football team." Percy rolls his eyes. Jason's the perfect student, complete with his unrivaled devotion to all school sports. With his blond comb-over and charming blue eyes, he's the star of the football team.

"Well, listen to this. There's this chick coming over to help me with managing when Mom's going, apparently. Not my type, but I think she's definitely worth consideration for you. Annabeth Chase, heard of her?"

"Oh, she's my father's best friend's daughter," Jason chews his ballpoint pen, wrinkling his eyebrows. "Stuck-up as hell, though. I met her once at a gala."

"I'd assumed she was a rich bitch," Percy continues conversationally. Zeus, Jason's father, is a Wall Street billionaire. He's known for being extraordinarily cunning and shrewd, as well as his frequent affairs, one of which produced Jason.

"Yeah. Her mom, Athena, is an architectural genius. Designed ninety-nine percent of the New York City skyline-"

"Mr. Grace and Mr. Jackson, is there anything you would like to share with us?" Mrs. Dodds stares at Jason reproachfully; she hates him, but Jason's got a way of getting himself out of trouble that she's never able to put her finger on.

"Nope, just showing Percy how to do this math problem," Jason almost chirps, shooting her a dazzling smile. He's a teacher's pet, all right.

"Speaking of Zeus, how's your dad?" Jason whispers when Mrs. Dodds turns away reluctantly. Percy immediately stiffens up, clutching his pencil tightly.

"I don't have a father, as far as I'm concerned," he spits. "And I don't think that's any of your business any way."

"You can't keep repressing everything. One day, you'll have to face him and his money." Jason looks at him almost sympathetically, as if he doesn't have just as many daddy issues. He just chooses to submit to Zeus, and Percy sure as hell isn't going to do that.

"Well, he can go screw himself." Just in time, the bell rings, and Percy almost jumps up, thrusting his notebook back into his bag. "I've got bio now. See you.

"Think about what I said, okay?" Jason yells behind him, as he stalks out of the classroom, wishing fervently that what Jason said wasn't really the truth.

According to TIME, Poseidon is a wealthy entrepreneur who operates the largest network of marine operations in the world. According to Percy, he's a spoiled womanizer who's afraid of commitment. After he'd knocked his mother up, he had dumped her under the guise of "going out to sea" and settled down with a rich socialite somewhere in California. Sally had only known Poseidon was still alive when she read the New York Times one day and seen an article about the fishing industry.

Still fuming, he tries to make his way through the hallway to bio class. He's just about to enter the classroom when someone grasps his shoulder. He quickly whirls around, confused. The assistant principal, Mr. Brunner, stands behind him, smiling encouragingly in a ratty old brown suit and tie.

"I'd like to have a word with you in my office, Mr. Jackson. We have a few things we need to discuss."

Percy squints his eyes at him, still very confused. "I haven't spray-painted the lockers," he blurts out. "That was Luke Castellan. And Ethan Nakamura stuck gum under all the computer desktops. So I didn't do that stuff, okay?"

"Illuminating, Mr. Jackson, thank you. But we need to discuss your academic transcripts, not your criminal record. If you'll step this way?"

Feeling a growing sense of foreboding, Percy shuffles to the office. This can't be good.

**ahh i am very sorry for this chapter **

**busy times/school make me very stressed. **

**but i will update in a few days for sure! love y'all :) **


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